Kimchi is a staple of Korean life and many Koreans include it in their meals three times a day. You can eat it by itself, or use it in so many different Korean recipes. When Koreans make kimchi, they make an effort to make the best kimchi possible and include many regional ingredients.
Today I will show you how to make a traditional-style kimchi with oysters, and we’ll also make radish kimchi (“kkakdugi”) with the same kimchi paste, which saves us from having to make these two kinds of kimchi separately. This is how I make kimchi and kkaktugi, because I need both in my house, but you might be interested in my “easy kimchi” (mak kimchi) recipe if you don’t have a lot of time, or in my kakdugi recipe if you want to make only kakdugi, or make my traditional napa cabbage kimchi recipe by itself if that’s all you need. Also, if you don’t like oysters, you can leave them out.
Many people think you have to wait for kimchi to be fermented before eating, but personally I prefer to eat fresh kimchi, as soon as I make it. And I like to make stew (kimchi-jjigae) out of older kimchi.
Ingredients
- 2 large size napa cabbages (about 8 pounds: 3.6 kg) and 2 Korean radishes (about 4-5 pounds: 2 kg)
- 1½ cup of kosher salt
- ½ cup sweet rice flour, ¼ cup sugar, water
- 4 cups of Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 cup fish sauce,
- 1 medium sized onion, minced (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup of fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tbs minced ginger
- 7 stalks of green onions, chopped diagonally
- 2 cups worth Buchu (Asian chives), chopped,
- 2 cups of matchstick-cut radish
- fresh oysters (optional)
Directions
- Cut the cabbages in half, and then slit each half through the core, but not through the rest of the leaves.
- Soak each piece in cold water and sprinkle salt over the each leaf , and then set it aside for 2 hours.
*tip: the stems should get more salt than the leaves - Peel 2 kg of Korean radishes and cut them into 1 inch cubes. Do this by cutting them into several disks, and then cutting horizontally, and then vertically. Put them in a big bowl and sprinkle them with ¼ cup of kosher salt. Then set these aside, too.
- 2 hours later, turn the pieces of cabbage over so they get salted evenly. Turn the radishes as well.
- Another 2 hours later, you will see the cabbage look softer than before, and it should have shrunk.
*the total salting process will take 4 hours - Rinse the salted cabbage and radish with cold water 3 times.
Making Kimchi paste:
Make porridge
- Put ½ cup of sweet rice flour and 3 cups of water into a skillet and mix them up. Then cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
- When you see some bubbles, pour ¼ cup of sugar into the porridge and stir one more minute. Then cool it down.
- Place the cold porridge into a big bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
- Add fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, crushed garlic, ginger, and onion
*tip: it’s much easier to use a food processor. - Add green onions, Asian chives, and radish.
- Add 2 cups of frozen oysters, but this is optional. (I found out lots of people can’t eat them.)
- Mix all ingredients well.
Are you ready to spread our paste on the leaves and make your kaktugi?
* I recommend you wear rubber gloves so that you don’t irritate your skin.
- Spread the kimchi paste onto each leaf of the cabbage, and make a good shape out of the leaves by slightly pressing with both hands.
- Put it into an air- tight sealed plastic container or glass jar.
- Mix your leftover paste with your radish cubes to make kkakdugi.
You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented. Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days and keep it in the refrigerator.
How do you know it’s fermented or not?
One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means it’s already being fermented.
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
hi maangichi,
how are you? i am not a kimchi fanatic before but since i am confuse why koreans and so as my filipino friends like to eat kimchi i keep on trying to eat it every time we are eating at a restaurant. There is this restaurant where their kimchi taste so good, its kinda sour, spicy but at the same time its a little bit sweet ( now im always looking for kimchi every time i am eating )… and also i have tried a kimchi made of cucumber, i was planning to make it but i am wondering if the process and ingredients are the same… hope to hear from you soon…
Cucumber contains lots of water and flimsy, so it gets soggy easily if you make kimchi. I make fresh cucumber salad with seasoning sauce, spicy stuffed cucumber kimchi, and Korean style cucumber pickles.
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/oisobagi-kimchi
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/oijangajji
The recipe for fresh cucumber salad with seasoning sauce will be posted someday later.
I made my first kimchi today, and I put it in glass jars. I left about an inch of space at the top of each jar. Should the lids be tightly sealed, or loose, to let air circulate? I wondered if they are tightly sealed if the fermentation would stop. Also, my paste did not taste very spicy. I wonder if I got the wrong kind of pepper? I used Wang red pepper powder (coarse) that I got from H Mart.
Your video makes it look so easy, but I am exhausted! But it was fun! I hope it tastes good! Thank you for your videos! They are delightful!
yay! Congratulations! : )
I always seal the lid tightly after making it. No problem.
“.. I got the wrong kind of pepper?” I can’t give you a right answer without seeing it but I would add more hot pepper flakes to the kimchi paste in the next batch of kimchi if I were u.
Yes making kimchi will make you exhausted especially the first time you make it but it gets easier and easier each time! If you were next to me, I would give you shoulder massage for 30 seconds! lol
Okay, I will add more pepper next time. The shoulder massage sounds like a good idea… I wonder if my husband is asleep yet. Thank you!!!
How does kimchi taste like? Also, I am allergic to fish so their is a lot of stuff i cannot eat. =(
Well, I think it’s difficult to describe Kimchi taste. I depends, on what you’ve put in the sauce. So my Kimchi really smells of garlic :D, but also of onions etc. The Kimchi itself, I mean the cabbage has an own flavour. It’s sour and.. well tastes like cabbage :D -just like I said: it’s difficult :)
I think, if you are allergic to some of the stuff, just make Kimchi with things you can eat. That’s a great thing of Kimchi: you can put in whatever you like. Well of course I think there should be onions, green onions, ginger, hot pepper flakes and garlic but you can replace the fish sauce for example with more salt.
Well.. I’ve written so much :D… I recommend you to try some Kimchi. Don’t be shy with it;D
Viele Grüße aus Deutschland (Many greetings from Germany :D)
If allergic to fish and shellfish, use Barley paste instead. I believe it’s the same amount, not sure. Look it up. I know Monasteries do that.
hi maangchi,
I m from jakarta, indonesia. I always love korean foods, always go to korean resto for some treats. One day i found ur video in youtube since then i can make my own dishes and all turns out great. Except for kimchi recipe, it never works to me. I follow all ur instructions, keep it for 2-3 days or even more to make it fermented n sour but it never be fermenting. I wonder wht mistake i made, it seems everythg is right. I like sour kimchi one. i use rice flour not sweet rice flour is this the case? please help. thank youu
That’s strange! After making your kimchi, where did you put the kimchi container? You have to put it outside of the refrigerator to ferment. “You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented. Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days and keep it in the refrigerator.”
hi riena, I’m an Indonesian too.. but It’s kinda hard to find the hot pepper flakes in Tangerang.. Can you recommend me where to buy it?? because, in maangchi blog that tell us about the market, it’s too far for me to get there. help me pleasee.. Thanks a bunch.
Maangchi, kam sam nida! I have watched my mom make kimchi for years and try to learn, but she doesn’t have a “recipe” she just does everything by measuring with her eye (which doesn’t help me of course). My first time making kimchi was from a cookbook from an American who married a Korean man and learned how to make Korean food, but I think she modified the recipes as they seemed very “Americanized”. My kimchi did not ferment correctly. :*(
I’m so excited to try your authentic Korean Kimchi recipe! My mouth is watering!
Have you made your kimchi? If so, I hope it turned out good!
I love Kimchi =D. And I’m really amazed how many similarities there are between Kimchi and our German Sauerkraut. The steps to make these wonderful vegetables are nearly the same: Both is made from cabbage (well in Korea of course with Baechu and in Germany with pointed cabbage or white cabbage) and both are saltened before it is pickeld. But I guess it takes more time to make Sauerkraut because you have to salten and compact it for a few weeks before pickeling it. But nevertheless I think it’s notable that such different cultures have such a big similarity =D
My mom is Korean & my dad is German American…I love both kimchi and sauerkraut!!! delicious!!! :)
Do I leave the cabbage out of the fridge during the salting AND fermenting process? Or does it have to be refridgerated? Thank you for this blog!
yes, after your kimchi is fermented, keep it in the refrigerator.
hi, i came across your site last week and have tried several fantastic recipes. your kennip recipe is amazing!
i have a question regarding this kimchi recipe. sorry to sound like i am splitting hair, but toward the beginning you write ‘fresh oysters’, however further down when making the kimchi paste you write ‘frozen oysters’, does this mean that i can thaw frozen oysters for this recipe?
the reason i am asking is because i would like to add oysters, but am a bit scared to use fresh ones because i dont know how fresh they may be.
thanks for your time.
“i can thaw frozen oysters for this recipe” yes, you can. Good luck with delicious kimchi making. Thank you so much for your nice comments and the question!
Maangchi is the Best Kimchi ever! When I was in the Army I was stationed in Korea for one year at Camp Casey in Tongduchon back in 1993-1994. They use to serve Kimchi in the Mess Hall line. Growing up in Seattle, I loved eating kimchi and Korean food. Now I can make great kimchi for my Wife and Kids following Maangchi’s recipes!!!! Keep up the Wonderful recipes so we all can enjoy The Bite of Korea!
Hello. I want to know if the Korean supermarket sells kimchee that’s already fermented? The last few times I bought them, I had to leave them out but I want to know if I can buy the kimchi that’s already fermented? If they do, how will I know if it’s fermented?
I don’t know the answer but even though store sold kimchi is fresh, you can leave it outside of the refrigerator for a day or 2 days and it will ferment. You can taste a little piece of kimchi or kimchi juice to check if it’s fermented or not. Fermented kimchi tastes a little sour.
Hi Maangchi,
I made my kimchi with fish salt, 1 box of salted shrimp, and raw oyster. After finishing adding the paste into the cabbage, I tasted the kimchi but it is too salty. What should I do now to make it less salty?
I made 2 gallon already, and I don’t want to throw it away T_T
Thanks for your help.
P/s: this is my first time post, but I am really appreciated your website. You show me to made so many dishes, and all my friend just love it so much. This kimchi I made to share with a couple of my friends ^^
oh no, you must have added too much salty stuff: salt and salty shrimp! You made jaangahjji instead of kimchi! : )
Just wait until it ferments. I think your salty kimchi will take long time to be fermented. It may taste better when it’s fermented.
I’m sure your next batch of kimchi will turn out good!
Hi Maangchi, I’m making this tonight and it looks delicious. My baby daughter is keeping me very busy so I make it just in short steps, for example I made the hot kimchi paste but had no time to add cut chives so I’ll add them tomorrow morning. Thanks Maangchi! I can’t wait to make my own kimchi jeon from this :)
Maangchi!
I went to H Mart yesterday and I got everything for the Kim Chi. The asian chives didn’t look fresh so I got extra green onions. I salted for 3 hours or so both the radish and cabbage. I rinsed very well and let me tell you I LOVE my Kim Chi! I wish you could taste it! My 6 year old daughter Ruby helped me salt and mix everything. I put the kim chi in a gallon jar and left it under the sink overnight. Today it has bubbles and tastes fresh- like a little salty, sweet, crunchy- not sour yet but delicious! My daughter loves the smell but hasn’t tried it yet! We will get a camera soon and I can then post pics but I cannot believe how well it went. My husband doesn’t like kim chi so it will take me many months to eat it!!! oh, I used 1 tablespoon tiny salted shrimp because I couldn’t get fresh oysters but still delicious. I also put minari in with the cabbage. Thankyou for a great recipe!! Eating kim chi everyday will make me healthy and maybe lose a little weight, ha!ha!
Hi unnie,
Thanks a lot for this. everyone likes the kimchi.
I love ur website. Thank you. ^^
maangchi,
I noticed in your photos the cabbage had dark green leaves after the salting. Are you using the real Korean Cabbage used in korea instead of Chinese Napa Cabbage? Can I find the Korean Cabbage at H Mart do you think? I know they are similar but they are not the same. Korean cabbage is better!
Yes, napa cabbage (baechu) sold at a Korean grocery store. I sometimes buy baechu in Chinatown. They are the same cabbage.
Thanks Maangchi!
Tomorrow I am going to H Mart to buy Kim chi supplies!!!
Hi Maangchi!!
I was just wondering, when making 깍두기, is it ok to let it soak in sugar instead of salt? my mom always told me to use sugar, and I’m just wondering if it makes that much of a difference? Thank you! ^^;
yes, it will be ok, why not?
Hi Maangchi,
This kimchi looks super yummy and spicy! Yay!! However, can i add some asian pear or some apple? If so, how much? Also, I heard when soaking the cabbage (giving it a bath) you should add salt to the soaking liquid as well? Anyway I’m planning to make a big batch! Thanks.
I would use 1 pear for this amount of kimchi.
Hi Maangchi!
I love your recipes; they are fabulous and you have sparked my interest and passion to learn more Korean dishes. As you know, different countries have different kinds of produce, I want to know how much napa cabbage did you use. 2 heads is how many kg?
Also, I want to know how much kimchi paste do I make if I dont want to make Kkatuggi? Can you tell me exactly how much onion and chives and all that, if its isnt inconvienent for you? (sorry, my family isnt a big fan of raddish:()
P.S. its ok to use daikon in the kimchi paste, right?
Hi,
When I posted this recipe, I did not measure exactly. I said 2 heads of napa cabbage and… So it will be difficult for those follow exact measurements.
Check my recent kimchi recipe (mak kimchi), please. I did my best to provide accurate measurements.
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi
Good luck with making good kimchi!
Hi Maangchi,
May I know the ‘cup’ mention in you recipe is around how many ml?
cos the kimchi that i just made the ‘look’ is a bit different from you…
thanks! :)
When I posted this recipe, I did not measure exactly. I said 2 heads of napa cabbage and… So it will be difficult for those follow exact measurements.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_milliliters_are_in_a_cup
1 ml = 0.00422675282 US cups
1 US cup = 236.588238 ml
Also, 1000 mL = 1 liter (or 1 mL = 0.001 L)
Check my recent kimchi recipe (mak kimchi), please. I did my best to provide accurate measurements.
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi
Good luck with making good kimchi!
Thank you so much, I will redo the Kimchi this weekend. :)
I wish you good luck with making successful kimchi!
Hey Maangchi, your Kimchi recipe is soooo delicious.
I have made it many many times for myself and my friends. All my friends liked your recipe. Thank you so much.
Good news! Thanks a lot for your compliment!
hi maangchi
i am from saudi arabia , but i love every things in korea .
i decided to make kimchi but i didn’t have rice flour , an i put corn flour or not .
please answer me faster as u can
I don’t know the answer because I have never made porridge with corn flour for kimchi paste. Use plain flour (all purpose flour). I sometimes use when my sweet rice flour runs out.
So Im waiting for my cabbage to finishing salting, would like to say I have had kimchi for a long time and have made kimchi before from other websites BUT your is the best, and I like the oysters in it. I miss Seoul so much. And my floor in the apartment building has 5 korean families and I always give them some and they like this version alot, so thumbs up from all the guys here!!!
yay! Awesome! I wish I could visit there to meet all you guys! I’m so happy to hear that Korean families love my kimchi recipe!
Cheers!
Hi Maangchi,
I tried making kimchi with your recipe…and its taste so good and my sister finish it so fast….so i have to make some for myself today…thanks for the good recipe and clear steps for the beginer to follow.
Fantastic news!
Maangchi,
I made kimchi using you recipe minus the fish sauce. It seems too sweet to me. I added extra salt to make up for the missing fish sauce. Should I add more salt? Also this batch is soft, I may have fermented it too much before putting it in the fridge. Is there any ways to save it? Or is it now best to use it in a hot dish like stew or pancakes? Thank you.
I think you should add more salt because you skipped salty fish sauce. Fish sauce is very salty. Modify the recipe according to your taste, so if this kimchi is too sweet, use less sugar.
Thank you for replying. I was able to save/use the kimchi that was too soft by making kimchi fried rice. It was very good. I will add more salt this time. Thank you again.
Hi Maangchi,
I came across your site when I tried to youtube & google for Korean side dishes. I have tried 2 side dishes. (i just posted it on my blog, http://www.xanga.com/fadedshadow)
And, I just bought all the ingredients needed for Kimchi (My mum’s a vegetarian, therefore I skipped the fish sauce & oysters) and it’s all on the table now.
I’m so excited to try it out tomorrow.
Thank you for sharing your recipes online.
Have a great week ahead!
hey, you are such a great cook! They all look very delicious! Gajinamul (egg plant side dish)! https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/gaji-namul That’s what I want now! : )
wat happen if we forgot to salt the raddish? nd jus put the kimchi paste.. will it taste weird?
no problem. Add some salt to your kimchi anytime. The amount of salt depends on your taste.
This is kind of stupid, but is it possible to remake the porridge a few days later? Mine didn’t turn out well. Besides forgot to buy green onions, but I can’t get any for a few days.
no, just wait until your kimchi ferments. It may taste better.
안녕하세요?^^
이 사이트를 우연한 계기로 보게 되었는데 너무 좋은것같아요 ㅎㅎㅎ
매년 말에 저희 외할머니댁에서 김치만드는데 한번도 참여하지 못해서 아쉬웠는데
이런 사이트를 통해 배우면 좋을 것 같아요 >__<
한국에서는 시집가기 전에 김치정도는 담을 수 있어야 된다던데!
세상에! 외국분들이 시집가셔야 되겠어욤!!!ㅋㅋㅋ
정말 좋은 요리법 감사해요 ^___^
좋은 하루 보내세요~~
PS. 근데 망치가 무슨뜻이에요? 처음에 보고 너무 웃겨서 …ㅋㅋㅋ
음식을 두들겨 패야 제맛이라는 건가요~~~??
haha, maangchi(hammer)was one of my online video game character names.
https://www.maangchi.com/about
Thank you for your interest in my kimchi recipe!
about radish kimchi, i have these purple daikon radishes are they ok for making kimchi?
purple daikon? I don’t know what it looks like and tastes like, but purple radish (small size radish) kimchi is good.
Dear Maangchi, your kaktugi is to-die-for!!!! It’s now my favourite kimchi!!! I made it as an afterthought since I had an extra radish which I needed to ‘get rid of’ but it’s so good that I’m going to dedicate next weekend to make more kaktugi!!!
Can’t wait for your next recipes!!
“it’s so good that I’m going to dedicate next weekend to make more kaktugi!!! ” Reading your post makes me feel like eating kkatugi! I should make it soon. : )
Hi Maangchi, I like to eat kimchi but don’t know how to make it. finally I found your website..great.. Just want to know if I can’t get sweet rice flour in my country-Singapore, can I use plain flour or other kind of rice flour? If I don’t want to use sugar, can I use honey (Australia Honey) instead? Thank you very much of your recipes posted in web and looking forward to your reply…
Sweet rice flour is glutinous rice flour. I think you can easily find it in Singapore. Or you could use plain flour, too. Yes, honey sounds good to me. Let me know how your kimchi turns out! My fingers are crossed!
Hi Maangchi,
Thank you for your prompt reply. Yes..intend to make kimchi this weekend and will let know how’s the result by using honey..yes..keep my fingers cross too..lol..
Hi Maangchi,
I had made the kimchi by using your recipe “easy kimchi” yesterday. I only make 1 no. of cabbage because this was my first time making kimchi and not very sure whether sucessfuly or not. I use honey instead of sugar to make the porridge and also use light soy sauce and fish sauce instead using all fish sauce. I have tried eating today and find that not salty enough because not very sure how much fish sauce to be added, overall it looked quite ok, haha.. Can I put in more fish sauce at this stage now?
Thank you.
Lynn,
yes, you can add some fish sauce to your kimchi now. You can fix bland kimchi easily by adding some salt or fish sauce.
My easy kimchi recipe:
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi
Hi Maangchi,
Thank you very much for your advice and will add some fish sauce to the kimchi. Have seen your video regards the kimchi soup and the sweet hot pancake..ha.yummy..will try to make these also..thank you so much for sharing your recipes and experiences with us.
Hi Maangchi,
i’ve downloaded heaps of your podcasts and they are so all doo great!! So thank God for you for making Korean food much more easy to make at home for non Korean like me.
Anyways I’m visiting my family in Thailand right now and my dad loves kimchi to death but he can’t find yummy ones so I said I’ll make one for him using ur recipes!! (minus oysters). After I made it and left overnight for 15 hours, My mom woke up and was horrified to find my kitchen floor covered in kimchi sauce!! It was a bloodbath!! The kimchi mix in the plastic tuppawear had swelled up and pushed the lids (I had more than 1 box) open and the liquid just overflowed onto the floor. I also had another batch in a container with screwed on lid. This one didn’t overflowed but for some reason she was afraid it will do the same so she wanted to let some sauce out. She twisted the lid and it was instant limbo explosion!!! Red sauces sprayed all over the place!! It was hours before we filly finished cleaning up.
Sorry it’s so long but..I don’t know what I did wrong apart from maybe overfilled the containers. I’m afraid that my kimchi won’t turn out right after 3 weeks in the fridge. Could u offer any advice??
Cheers :)
: ) I should not laugh but can’t help! lol, It’s only natural! Thailand is hot hot country, so kimchi will ferment faster! Keep it a few hours outside the refrigerator until it starts fermenting. It could smell sour or sometimes bubbles are produced. Then transfer your kimchi to the refrigerator.
Hehehe ^_^ it’s ok you can laugh. I laughed too after cleaning it all up. I’ve put them in the fridge already so it’s been almost 3 days in the fridge I think. It has so much juces on the bottom that I’m not sure if it’s too much. I read in previous posts about this being normal so I won’t panick just yet. Thank you again for ur great recipes!! Loving it loving it ;)
I was wonder what kind of salt you use in this recipe? Is it ok to use any kind of salt like kosher or sea salt or is there a specific kind that works best when making kimchi?
Thank you so much for putting up this recipe! I’m so excite to try it out!
I use kosher salt these days, but I don’t have any particular kind of salt I prefer.
ah good! i have plenty of kosher salt around the house!! thanks so much for answering my question!
ohh.. im not really confident. Actually this is the first time im “cooking”.
on my research, it said that the container must be air tight. But i just put it in a plastic tupperware & on to the fridge. Is this alright?
yes, of course it’s alright!
i tried making kimchi yesterday but im afraid it is a failure. i put in too much salt more tan needed so it taste so bitter even with a nice kimchi paste.
im doing my 2nd batch today but i dont use Napa Cabbage,im making radish.
*Q: we dont have Korean radish here so im using plain radish but i dont know what variety it is. this this ok?
*Q: Because i put in too much salt before, im afraid that it would get too salty again. if i taste the radish in salt water,is it normal if it taste too salty for me?
*Q: On my 1st batch, there was excess paste(but more like sauce,that was what it was). I save that in the fridge in a separate container but the next morning, i saw some little white specks. Im afraid that it was worm or something. So now im worried about my kimchi. Should i throw my kimchi?
When you make your next batch of kimchi, please use my recent kimchi recipe because more exact measurements are posted.
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi
My answers:
Q: Because i put in too much salt before, im afraid that it would get too salty again. if i taste the radish in salt water,is it normal if it taste too salty for me?
A: Don’t forget to rinse the radish in cold water and drain before mixing with kimchi paste.
If your radish or cabbage is too salty, soak it in cold water until not salty (30 minutes-1 hour? ). Then rinse and drain it, and mix with kimchi paste.
*Q: … i saw some little white specks. Im afraid that it was worm or something. So now im worried about my kimchi. Should i throw my kimchi?
A: eww! white stuff on kimchi paste in the refrigerator next day? Strange! I would not eat the white stuff! But I would use the paste after removing the white stuff.